We need councillors to make our money stretch

I WONDER how many of those who aspire to be Dunedin’s next mayor or a councillor have read the 10year plan 201828 consultation document, or have revisited this to see where ratepayer money is to be spent.

Because of a 50% increase in rates over the 10year period, what has changed and what projects need to be reexamined?

There is the bit on hiring 29 more staff, but it was reported in the ODT

(29.1.19) that 41 more staff would be added to the payroll, a staggering

$4.95 million increase.

An option in the document is to build a bridge from the city to the harbour. Councillors voted for a

$20 million one with architectural features, when a $10 million one was an option. A very expensive bridge to nowhere.

The central city upgrade and the tertiary precinct have two options each, an expensive cost or a moderate cost. The moderate costs should be the options if these projects go ahead. These projects say the preferred options of councillors are the expensive ones — an additional

$34 million.

Our candidates for next month’s election all have a common theme of climate change, public transport and cycle ways. Nothing but business as usual, and disappointing to say the least.

We as ratepayers should expect better. It is, after all, our money.

Ross Davidson

Dunedin [The increase in rates over the 10year period is about 48%. The DCC later clarified the increase in staff by pointing out some had already been on the payroll. — Ed.]

THANK you to Robyn Hyndman and Dave Crooks for their excellent letters (ODT, 14.9.19).

They are voicing exactly what so many Dunedin people are thinking and saying.

Dunedin needs an experienced mayor, who will ensure that the basic council duties are completed and that the finances are used wisely and carefully.

All councillors must be independent. There is no place for central government politics influencing local government issues. Dunedin has had too much of this in the past few years.

No need for using all of these outoftown consultants, and a few staff members — just take heed of what the ratepayers are saying.

Alex Armstrong

Opoho

THE local body candidate statements (ODT, 16.9.19) vary dramatically in their ability to inform voters.

The more specific the statements, the more informative they are.

Take the candidate statement by Penny Clark, an existing QLDC councillor. She says: ‘‘We should curtail housing sprawl over our landscape and concentrate builds in small denser communities.’’

Penny Clark voted for a Special Housing Area (SHA) in Lake Hawea. That SHA is outside the urban growth boundary, resulting in urban sprawl. The SHA is unnecessary, given the tracts of vacant land within the existing urban growth boundary. Actions speak louder than words!

John Langley

Lake Hawea [Penny Clark replies: ‘‘This developer had a concentrated approach to the piece of land which offered a price point for young couples to afford. No, we cannot keep gobbling up land, but the area needed some houses at an affordable price. Land dotted around Hawea is definitely not in affordable status. This also applied to the Ladies Mile SHA. We need some denser areas to enable public transport to work.’’]